


You Make Me A Believer

by JayTyHeyBye



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: 1989, BUT WE'RE BACK SO WE GOOD, Birthday, Bisexual Male Character, Cheating, Closeted Character, F/M, Fighting, Fluff and Angst, Fred doesn't know what's going on, Hiram is like 26 and Hermione is 17, Implied/Referenced Underage Relationship(s), M/M, Past Events, Post-Season/Series 01, Prequel, Sugar Daddies, The kids are only really talked about, Time Travel, Unplanned Pregnancy, birthday wishes gone wrong, low-key pedophilia, periodic updates, southside serpents, you only see them at the beginning and near the end
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-14
Updated: 2017-12-22
Packaged: 2018-10-31 19:38:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10906098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JayTyHeyBye/pseuds/JayTyHeyBye
Summary: “Blow out your candles and make a wish!”Naturally, Fred grinned and leaned forward, shutting his eyes. Betty held out the cake, and in one quick blow, all of the flames had flickered out. The cheering continued, and he felt another hand clap him on the back.When Fred opened his eyes, Betty Cooper was no longer holding the vanilla cake she and her mother had baked specially for him. A 17 year old Alice Cooper was holding out a badly decorated chocolate cake, with the words “Happy 18th Freddy!” sprawled across it.------Also known as the one where Fred wishes for his old life back and finds himself back in his senior year, having to relive everything that happened, ultimately tearing their friend group apart





	1. The Wish

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter is super short but I promise the rest will be longer. Hope you enjoy!

The 45th birthday party for Fred Andrews was Archie’s idea. After everything that had happened, between the murder of Jason Blossom, and Fred almost bleeding to death in the middle of Pop’s, he thought his dad deserved to have a good time for once. 

Betty Cooper was the one to bring the cake into the living room, while everyone was standing in the center of it. Fred felt Archie patting his back, and he couldn’t help but smile.

“You didn’t have to do this, son.”

“Yes I did.”

Fred glanced around the room. Everyone was there. Alice and Hal Cooper, Hermione Lodge, Betty, Veronica, even Jughead, sporting his Southside Serpent jacket, and although Fred wasn’t exactly a fan of the Serpent’s, he was a fan of Jughead. The boy needed some form of a family right now, even if it was the Serpent’s. FP was still in jail, and Jug needed all the support he could get.

They had even invited Cheryl Blossom. Archie had told him about what had really happened after they’d gotten home from getting his cast at the hospital, and Fred had agreed with him when Archie mentioned letting Cheryl become closer with their friend group. Cheryl needed companionship, and Archie’s group of friends were more than happy to supply it to her. Fred couldn’t have been prouder of his boy.

“...Happy birthday dear –“

“-Fred-”

“-Dad-”

“-Mr. Andrews-”

“-Happy birthday to you!”

As everyone began to clap, Fred caught a glimpse of Hermione smiling in his peripheral vision. She put a hand on his back, laughing quietly.  
“Blow out your candles and make a wish!”

Naturally, Fred grinned and leaned forward, shutting his eyes. Betty held out the cake, and in one quick blow, all of the flames had flickered out. The cheering continued, and he felt another hand clap him on the back.

When Fred opened his eyes, Betty Cooper was no longer holding the vanilla cake she and her mother had baked specially for him. A 17 year old Alice Cooper was holding out a badly decorated chocolate cake, with the words “ _Happy 18th Freddy!_ ” sprawled across it. Fred immediately jolted back, his eyes widening. He looked frantically around the room, locking eyes once again with Hermione. However, she was the same way she was before she left. 17 years old, and just as beautiful as he remembered her. 

“Fred? Everything alright?”

He couldn’t find it in himself to answer, he felt the hand on his back move to squeeze his shoulder, and he turned to see an 18 year old FP Jones standing beside him, looking mildly concerned. He was in his classic flannel shirt, with a baseball cap on. He yanked his shoulder out of FP’s grip, feeling his breath beginning to pick up. 

What the fuck was going on? Where were the kids? Why was everyone so young? Where was his fucking son? 

“Fred, you’re scaring us,” Alice took a slow step forward, frowning. She placed the cake down onto the coffee table, grabbing Fred’s hands. “What’s the matter?”

“N-nothing,” Fred stammered, pulling his hands out of hers, “I just...I need some air.”

With that, he turned around as fast as he could and raced out the front door. When he was out on the sidewalk, he took the chance to look back at the house, and realized he was in his childhood home, about six blocks away from Elm street. This can’t be happening. There’s no way this is happening. 

He frantically looked around, before catching a glimpse of himself in the window of his mom’s car. He took a slow, hesitant step towards it. 

The man he expected to see was no longer looking back at him. In his place was the same Fred Andrews, but 28 years younger than he should be. He could hear Alice and the others calling out his name, following him outside the house, but his feet remained rooted to their spot on the ground. 

Finally, Fred tore his eyes away from the car window, turning to look at his friends all standing around the front steps. He noticed that a young Hal Cooper was among them as well, as was his now ex wife, Mary. Back then, she and Fred had sort of danced around their feelings for one another. 

Fred stood up properly, and FP was the one to move passed their friends and come towards him. 

Reluctantly, Fred cleared his throat.

“What...what year is it?”

FP looked concerned by his question, but answered nonetheless.

“it’s 1989, Freddy. What’s going on?”

“Nothing. Everything’s...everything’s fine.” 

Fred took a slow, shaky breath to try and calm himself down. He’d made a mistake. Holy fuck, he had made a mistake. 

Why did he think it was a good idea to wish for his old life back?


	2. Birthday Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fred gave Hermione a small smile when she leaned her head down onto his shoulder. She had always been a touchy – feely kind of girl. Apparently she had grown out of it after marrying Hiram Lodge.   
>  “Are you enjoying your birthday, Fred?”  
>  “It’s one of the better ones I’ve had, yeah.”  
>  He had to try and pretend everything was fine. God knows he had added enough suspicion to himself as it was. The less his friends thought something was wrong, the better.

Somehow, Hermione and Mary had convinced Fred to come back inside for cake, and to decompress a little. Fred had chalked up his mini melt down to stress due to the family business soon being passed onto him, and lucky enough for him, his friends believed him. To be honest, it wasn’t entirely a lie. The original 1989, 18 year old Fred was terrified of Andrew’s Construction being passed onto him, but his father had assured him that everything would be fine, and he would have nothing to worry about. His dad had left him a good legacy to carry on. Fred had spent most of his real senior year terrified he would run the business to the ground within the first week. He hadn’t, luckily. Andrew’s Construction was still running smoothly, more or less. 

FP had turned on the radio, blasting classic rock through the entire house. He and Alice were dancing together in the corner of the room, uncomfortably close to one another, and Fred didn’t have to look at Hal to know that he wore an angry expression. Hal and Alice were quite steadily dating at this point, they had been since the ninth grade. FP and Gladys, a girl from Fred’s english class, had been on and off again since the beginning of summer. Gladys’ massive crush on FP had been obvious since the seventh grade, when she filled his locker with balloons and I Love You FP cards. FP had spent the rest of middle school actively avoiding her, but he had recently started to “return” the feelings towards her. Fred had always assumed that FP had agreed to go out with her to eventually have her see that she could get someone better than him, so when FP had proposed a year after their High School graduation, Fred was a little surprised, to say the least. 

He only tore his gaze away from Alice and FP almost kissing to look at Hermione when she sat down beside him. He had overheard her and Mary bickering quietly about something in the kitchen, but Fred wasn’t in the mood to do any snooping today. Mary and Hermione were almost always bickering, trying to decide which one of them should pursue Fred, and which one of them should fuck off. In the end, Fred had picked Mary, but some small part of him always wondered what would have happened if he had chosen Hermione. However, if picking Mary meant that he got Archie, Fred would do whatever it took to marry her. Archie was his first priority.

Getting home to Archie was his only priority.

Fred gave Hermione a small smile when she leaned her head down onto his shoulder. She had always been a touchy – feely kind of girl. Apparently she had grown out of it after marrying Hiram Lodge. 

“Are you enjoying your birthday, Fred?”

“It’s one of the better ones I’ve had, yeah.”

He had to try and pretend everything was fine. God knows he had added enough suspicion to himself as it was. The less his friends thought something was wrong, the better. 

“Are you going to try out for the River Vixens again?”

“Naturally. Alice and I plan of kicking Penelope Weeks off of her nice golden throne of security and taking over the team.”

“Think you’ll succeed?”

“Pray for us, Freddy.”

The pair shared a laugh, and Hermione lifted her head up from his shoulder. 

“Are you going to try out for the Bulldog’s again?”

“Naturally,” Fred retorted, causing Hermione to smirk, “coach is looking for a new captain. Looks good on a resume, y’know?” 

Hermione grinned at him.

“We could kick Penelope and Clifford out of the power couple position.”

Fred didn’t know what he was doing. His body felt like it was running on autopilot, but everything felt so natural. He figured it was easier to just go with the flow than to protest, and change something. In the time it took him to blink, Hermione was starting to lean towards him. Fred did the same, until Mary tapped him on the shoulder, knocking him out of his daze. He pulled back quickly, clearing his throat. Hermione straightened up as well, fixing her hair. She rose from the couch, grabbing her now empty solo cup.

“I’m going to refill.” 

She flashed Fred a smile, but Fred caught the mini glare she sent towards Mary, as Mary took the seat Hermione had previously occupied. 

Fred had forgotten how beautiful Mary truly was. She had short red hair, and freckles that danced across her nose. She had stunning big, brown eyes that always glowed with enthusiasm. She could light up an entire room just by walking into it. Fred had forgotten how in love with her he really had been when he had proposed. He had devoted his entire life to her, he was ready to let her walk all over him if that’s what it would take to make her smile.

FP had always made fun of him for being so devoted, but Mary Paine was a woman worthy to devote yourself to. 

She smile at him, and Fred immediately found himself smiling back at her.

“Are you having a good birthday party, Freddy?”

“One of the best I’ve ever had.” 

That made Mary smile. Fred felt butterflies forming in his stomach.

“Good. Alice and I spent days trying to organize everything.”

“You didn’t have to go to all that trouble for me, y’know.”

Mary scoffed slightly, taking a sip from whatever she had put in her drink. Fred assumed she had probably made herself some form of a screwdriver.

“Yes we did. It’s your 18th birthday! It’s special.”

She looked away from him, raising her eyebrows when she caught sight of FP and Alice across the room. They were still uncomfortably close, and FP was now leaning down enough so he could whisper in Alice’s ear. She must have liked whatever he was saying, because she had this stupid grin plastered across her face. FP had his hands resting lightly on her waist, and Alice had one arm wrapped around FP’s neck to keep him down at her level. Her other hand was holding her drink, but most of it had been spilled on herself. 

“You think they’re gonna fuck?”

Fred couldn’t help but smirk at Mary’s bluntness.

“Probably. I don’t think Hal would be a fan of that, though.”

As if on cue, FP pulled Alice in for a kiss, and Hal was crossing the room to them. He grabbed FP by the shoulder, yanking him away from Alice. Hal slammed FP up against the fireplace, immediately getting in his face.

Fred was up in an instant, just as Alice was yelling, “Hal, leave him alone!”, the rest of her drink spilling onto the hardwood. 

He got there just in time to hear Hal mumbling dangerously to FP.

“If you so much as touch her again, I will make your life a living hell. Do you understand?”

FP kind of huffed out a laugh, rolling his eyes.

“What are you going to do, Cooper? Right an article about me in the Blue and Gold?”

That only seemed to make Hal angrier. He tightened his grip on FP’s jacket, but Fred managed to grab ahold of his arm, tugging him back slightly.

“Hal, just leave it. They’re both drunk and being stupid. It won’t happen again. Right, FP?”

FP glanced in between Fred and Hal, but his gaze lingered for a moment when looking at Fred. He straightened himself up, fixing his hat, and he nodded.

“Sure. Whatever you say, Andrews.”

Hal pulled away from Fred, taking Alice’s hand, mumbling a quiet, “c’mon, I’ll drive you home” causing Alice to nod. As she and Hal were approaching the front door, she turned back to the small group that had formed in the living room.

“Happy birthday Freddy!” She called one more time, but her gaze landed on FP when Hal wasn’t looking, mouthing a quick ‘ _call me!_ ’, to which FP gave her a smirk and a thumbs up. Alice and Hal left, and Fred turned towards FP, sighing.

“You’re going to get your ass kicked one of these days, buddy.”

FP grinned, his nose crinkling slightly.

“Hasn’t happened yet, has it?”

“It’s only a matter of time,” Hermione grinned, leaning in the doorway that led to the kitchen. She wasn’t holding her drink anymore, but Fred could see how flushed she’d become. “Drive us home, FP?”

“My house is in walking distance.” Mary shook her head, flashing Fred a smile. She kissed his cheek, and his knees felt weak, “I’ll see you at school on Monday. Happy birthday.” She said softly, squeezing his arm before leaving the Andrews residence. 

That left Fred alone with Hermione and FP, and Hermione was clearly trying her damnedest not to look jealous. She took a slow step forward, grabbing Fred by the front of his shirt and pulling him into an actual kiss. When they broke apart, she smiled warmly at him.

“Call me.” 

All Fred could do was nod, stunned. She let him go, turning to an equally stunned FP, flashing him a smile.

“I’ll meet you by your truck.”

FP just nodded, and both boys watched as she left through the front door. They stood in silence for a moment, before FP cleared his throat.

“I hope you don’t expect a kiss from me as well.”

That caused Fred to laugh.

“Trust me, I don’t.”

“You sure? I'm a good kisser."

FP was grinning now, and suddenly Fred was being lunged at. FP had his arms wrapped around a now struggling and laughing Fred’s waist, placing a wet, slobbery kiss on his cheek, all while shouting, “Happy birthday Fred, you old old man!” 

When FP finally let him go, Fred wiped the spit from his cheek with his sleeve, still laughing to himself. He had almost forgotten how carefree and relaxed FP had been, before he joined the Serpents and everything went to shit.

“You disgust me.”

“You love me and you know it.”

“Unfortunately.”

FP smirked, pulling his keys out of his jacket pocket. He gave Fred a quick bow, then straightened up. 

“Happy birthday, sir. Hope it was a good one.”

Fred walked FP to the door, shutting it behind him when he left. He watched through the front window, waiting until the headlights were out of sight, before he pressed his back to the door, sliding down it until he was sitting on the floor.

What the hell had he gotten himself into, and how was he supposed to get out of it?


	3. First Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Ready for your first day of senior year, Bud?”  
> Fred smiled slightly, nodding as he shoved a piece of bacon into his mouth.  
> “This is a big year for you, Fred. You can’t have any distractions.”  
> Fred heard Linda scoff slightly as she sat down beside her son, across from her husband.  
> “Leave him alone, Will. He can have a couple distractions!”

Monday morning, Fred had almost forgotten that he had to go to school like a regular teenager. Well, at least he’d know the answers to everything. He got himself dressed and came down the stairs, but when he heard his parents talking quietly in the kitchen, he froze in his tracks. Both his parents died shortly after Archie was born, one almost right after the other. They had always been so in love, it inspired Fred to find the person who would love him as much as his mother loved his father, and vise versa. He was moving towards the kitchen before he even realized it, coming to a halt in the doorway.

His mother was buttering toast, standing at the counter. She was wearing a pink sweater, tucked into her high waisted jeans, and her long brown hair was tied back in a messy bun. She was laughing at something his father had just said, tapping her foot absentmindedly to the music that played softly through the radio. Like a Prayer by Madonna. Easily her favorite song right now. Linda Andrews was born April 3rd, 1945. She was always full of joy and optimism, and she was the strongest woman Fred had ever met. She still was. She had died first. Diagnosed with Lung Cancer in 2000. She hadn’t had a single cigarette since 1997, but when they discovered the cancer, there was nothing they could do. His father died two months later. The doctor had said he likely died of a broken heart. Nothing had been wrong with him, he had simply suffered a heart attack and passed in his sleep. They were put in the same urn, and scattered at the Twilight Drive In, where they had met. 

His mother turned to face him when she heard him come in, and she smiled widely. 

“Morning, sweetheart!”

Fred couldn’t help but smile.

“Morning, mom.”

She handed him a plate of toast, eggs, and two pieces of bacon, as well as a glass of freshly poured orange juice that she had most likely squeezed herself. 

Just as Fred was sitting down, he took a moment to glance at his father. William Andrews was born August 21st, 1943, and he was exactly the way Fred remembered him to be. He was reading the daily newspaper, but he would take a moment to spare a glance at his wife every time he finished a paragraph. Even after 27 years of marriage, he was still head over heels in love with her. He wore a button up flannel shirt with blue jeans, drove a green truck, and could pitch a baseball better than anyone Fred knew. William was slightly more realistic than Linda was, but he never once tried to diminish her thoughts. He would rather die than give her any reason to frown. He had founded Andrews Construction alongside his father, and when Fred had been old enough, William had started to teach his son the workings of the family business. Fred had never thought he wanted to spend the rest of his life doing construction, but his father had showed him how fun it could really be to build and create. William Andrews was the type of man Fred had always tried to model himself after.

“Ready for your first day of senior year, Bud?”

Fred smiled slightly, nodding as he shoved a piece of bacon into his mouth.

“This is a big year for you, Fred. You can’t have any distractions.”

Fred heard Linda scoff slightly as she sat down beside her son, across from her husband.

“Leave him alone, Will. He can have a couple distractions!”

Fred and his mother shared a smile. God, he hadn’t realized how much he missed them. 

William smiled softly, shutting his newspaper. He took one final sip from his coffee cup, before rising from the table. 

“I’ve got to get going. Make sure you get yourself to school on time, you don’t want to be late on the first day.” 

He ruffled his son’s hair, shared a loving kiss with his wife, then left to the construction site. 

When Linda heard the front door close, she smiled widely at her son. Fred smiled back.

“So, are you excited?”

“Definitely. It feels like it’s been 30 years since I saw everyone.”

Well, it wasn’t a lie.

Linda laughed, taking his plate from him once he’d finished eating. Just as Fred stood up to grab his backpack, he heard the front door opening and closing, followed by a loud, “I’m home!” from FP Jones. Right. They used to carpool to school together. 

Fred saw his mother smile, and he noticed finally that she had prepared a tupperware container full of food and left it on the counter. 

“Come in, FP!” She yelled, and FP had a smile on his face as he entered the kitchen.

“Morning, Mrs. Andrews.” 

He kissed her cheek, causing Linda to smirk back at him in response. She placed the tupperware in his hands, and FP’s smile grew.

“Make sure you eat this before it gets cold. There’s extra bacon in there for you, honey.”

To say FP didn’t have the best home life was an understatement. His father was drunk and at the bar or the strip club most of the time, and his mother pretended like everything was fine, while in reality, she was having regular sex with one of their neighbors. FP had 4 younger siblings, so in a lot of cases, he was forgotten about. Linda had been making him breakfast every morning since they were 10, and FP came over for dinner almost every other night. Fred once walked in on Linda putting her own cover-up on a fresh black eye that Mr. Jones had given his son. FP truly considered the Andrews to be like a second family, and FP knew he probably would have snapped by now if it weren’t for them. Fred was just happy to have him around, knowing he was safe and loved in the Andrew house. 

Fred saw his mother mumble something to FP, to which FP simply smiled and nodded. He turned towards Fred, flashing him his signature smile.

“Ready to go?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” 

Just as Fred was about to leave, his mother pulled him into a tight hug. Almost immediately, he hugged her back. She kissed the top of his head before going to pull away, but Fred pulled her back in for a moment. He had missed her hugs. She always gave the best hugs. Fred felt her grip tighten on him when he pulled her back in, and she pressed another kiss to the top of his head. 

“Are you alright, honey?”

“Just going to miss you today.”

They broke apart, and Fred grabbed his bag. Linda was fixing FP’s jacket when he turned back to look at them. 

“Try to have some fun for me!” Linda fixed Fred’s hair, patted FP on the back, and walked them to the front door. By the time Fred and FP were in FP’s truck, FP already had a piece of his mothers bacon stuffed in his mouth. 

“Your mom still makes the best bacon,” he mumbled, swallowing. 

The pair shared a smile, and FP drove them to the school.

 

Riverdale High was exactly the same back then as it did when Archie went to school. Almost exactly the same. FP parked in the student parking lot, and when they got into the school, Fred couldn’t help but smile slightly. It was exactly the way he remembered it. The hallways were filled with the students he had spent his entire life around. He could see Penelope Weeks down at the end of the hall, with Clifford Blossom’s arm around her shoulders. Clifford looked tired. Fred would later learn that his father had started to groom him to take over the family business. Clifford must have just realized that the Maple Syrup was a front for transporting Heroin. That would make anyone stressed. 

Penelope was head cheerleader. Apparently it was a Blossom tradition to be Head Cheerleader AND Captain of the Football team. He tore his gaze away from the young couple when FP put a hand on his shoulder.

“ _Zorra_ incoming.” 

Fred turned just in time to see Hermione coming down the hallway towards them. She smiled at a small group of boys that walked by her, and Fred could have sworn he saw one of them trip over a garbage can.

“Pretty sure you can’t call her that, FP.” 

Hermione came to a stop in front of them, flashing them both a grin.

“Good morning, boys.”

“Morning, Ms. Varela.”

FP bowed and kissed her hand, causing Hermione to smirk at him. As he stood up, Fred adjusted the straps on his backpack. Hermione accompanied them to the gymnasium, where everyone was loading in for the beginning of the year assembly. Just as they were entering, Alice came racing towards them, grabbing FP’s hand. She was breathily heavily, but she was smiling.

“I just lost Hal in the crowd. We have 15 minutes before he realizes that I’m not actually peeing.”

The smile that grew on FP’s face said it all. He glanced at Fred and Hermione as Alice started to tug him out of the gym.

“Give me the cliff – notes!” He called back to them, before disappearing through the double doors and down the hallway. 

Fred and Hermione shared a knowing look. They found their seats, and Fred saw all the River Vixens piling excitedly into the room. Mary was among them, and Fred felt those same butterflies pooling in the pit of his stomach. They made momentary eye contact, and Fred gave a small wave as Mary clapped her hands together. Just as she waved back, Hermione scooted closer, placing a hand on Fred’s knee. He turned to look at her.

“What are you doing?”

“Just getting a better view.” 

The assembly went without a hitch. Halfway through FP and Alice slipped in through the side door, FP’s hat in his hands, his white t-shirt now untucked. Alice’s lipstick was slightly smudged, and she was attempting to fix her hair. Fred couldn’t help but sigh. Hal was going to kill FP as soon as he found out. 

 

The rest of the day moved really fast. All of his classes were easy, since Fred had already completed them once. He knew what he was doing this time. His friends were in almost all of his classes, and everything was the same way he remembered it. Lunch had been easy, but halfway through he had started thinking about Archie. He had to find a way to get back to his son. Maybe he’d had a heart attack during his real birthday party and this was the result of his coma? He just had to wake himself up, but nothing was working. Maybe he just had to let things ride themselves out and wait until he woke up naturally? He didn’t know if he could be away from his son for that long. It seemed that he didn’t exactly have a choice.

 

When the day was over, FP was giving him a ride home. They were quiet most of the way, until FP suddenly sighed.

“I had sex with Alice in a broom closet.” 

Fred wasn’t surprised, but he took a moment to hesitate. FP never told him this. He had no memory whatsoever of FP ever telling him this. Why was this different? Fred didn’t know what to say.

“Was...was it good?”

“Why do you want to know if it was good? You wanna get with Alice?”

“W-what? No! I’m just curious!”

“That’s creepy, dude, but for your information, yes. It was good.”

They fell into another long silence. FP broke it again.

“She called me Hal.” 

This time, Fred turned to actually look at his friend. FP was white knuckling the steering wheel, his jaw tight. He actually looked upset.

“She what?”

“We were...y’know. We were going at it, it was – it was hot, I was kissing her-” 

“I don’t want the details, FP.”

“Sorry. Anyways, I said her name, and right where she was supposed to say my name … she mumbled Hal’s.”

Fred frowned, reaching over to put a hand on FP’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry, man.”

“Don’t be. Not like she’s my girlfriend or anything. She’s Hal’s. If anything, Cooper should be glad.”

FP stopped the car outside Fred’s house. The two friends made eye contact, and FP clearly had something to say, but must have decided against it at the last second.

“Mary was saying she saw you and Hermione getting really close during the assembly. Something you wanna tell me, pal?”

Fred felt his cheeks flush.

“It’s...it’s nothing. She was trying to get a good view of the cheerleaders.”

“Mhm. Of course she was.”

FP reached into the backseat, digging through his bag until he found the now empty tupperware container. He held it out to Fred, who didn’t take it.  
“Give this to your mom for me, yeah? Tell her it was delicious.”

Fred gave FP a look of concern. FP avoided his eye contact.

“Come in and tell her yourself. She’s making casserole for dinner tonight.”

FP seemed to perk up slightly at that. 

“You sure? I don’t wanna impose, Freddy.”

Fred rolled his eyes, and he swore he saw FP beginning to smile.

“You never impose. I swear, she loves you more than she loves me.”

The pair shared a smile, before walking into the house together.

Linda came to meet them at the front door, already smiling widely. She took Fred’s backpack from him, and had FP take off his shoes so he didn’t track mud through the house, then turned to get a proper look at the two boys.

“How was your first day?”

The boys looked at each other, as if trying to figure out what the other would say. Eventually, Fred looked back at his mother, grinning. 

“Exactly the way I remembered it to be.”

She momentarily looked confused, but finally smiled and kissed her son on the cheek.

“Come inside. Dinner’s almost ready.”

She turned on her heel and made her way back into the kitchen, FP following close behind, already commenting on how good the food smelt. Fred watched them go, taking that small moment alone to decompress. 

It was starting to seem more and more like he just had to stick it out until he could find a way back home.

Maybe it wouldn’t be as bad as he imagined it to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zorra = Fox in Spanish  
> "Pretty sure you can't call her that, FP."


	4. Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’d like to dedicate this next song to someone special in the crowd tonight. I’d also like to apologize in advance for butchering an Elvis Presley song.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is super long lmao I got so carried away.
> 
> The drama is brewing. It'll only go downhill from here.

The first month of school was easy. Fred had done everything the way he had done it the first time, and he was careful not to raise suspicion. He and FP had tried out for the football team together. When FP was given the position of captain instead of him, Fred had to pretend like he didn’t see it coming. When Hermione overthrew Penelope as head cheerleader, he gave her a hug and told her he was proud of her. Alice had been angry that Hermione hadn’t kept her promise to be Co – Captains, but she had given a forced smile and a tense hug nonetheless. Mary had told Fred later the same night that if Hermione was going to be the one coaching the Vixens, she might as well quit. She knew Hermione was going to make her life a living hell. Fred had told her to do what was right.

Hal still hadn’t found out Alice had cheated on him. Fred knew this was probably for the best. He was pretty sure Alice and FP were still sneaking around behind Hal’s back, and Hal had no idea as far as Fred knew. 

It was a Wednesday night, and FP was over at the Andrews household. They were upstairs in Fred’s room, and FP was lightly strumming the dusty old guitar Fred hadn’t touched since he was 14. They were quiet while Fred did his Chemistry homework, but FP broke the silence.

“We should form a band.”

Fred found himself pausing. How did he forget this conversation was coming?

“You think so?”

“Yeah. Cover band, though. Neither one of us can write for shit.”

Lifting his head, he could see that FP was smiling at him. Fred smiled back.

“We’d be absolute shit, FP.”

“Yeah, but we’d be chick magnets.”

“I seriously doubt that.”

FP put the guitar down, sitting up properly. He crossed the room and sat down on the bed beside Fred, a devious smile now on his face.

“No, listen. You can sing lead since I sound like a dying whale. We’ll both play guitar. It’ll be awesome! We can play at school events and shit.”

Fred scoffed.

“Well, every good band needs a name! What should we call ourselves?”

Just as he was shutting his textbook, FP blurted out his response.

“The Fredheads.”

Fred had heard the name hundreds of times throughout his life, but it never failed to make him start laughing. It was so ridiculous.

“The Fredheads, huh?”

“Yeah! It’s good, right?”

FP was grinning ear to ear, his hands clasped together as if he was about to start begging. Fred couldn’t help himself. He could never say no to FP Jones. 

“Okay, FP. I’ll form a band with you.”

Almost immediately, FP’s eyes lit up with excitement.

“We can fix up my dad’s old van, and we can call it-”

“-The Shaggin Waggin.” 

Fred smirked as he watched FP’s expression change. He had never seen him so excited.

“We should start practicing.”

 

By the time November pulled around, Fred was starting to lose hope that he’d ever be able to properly go back home. Maybe he just had to live everything over again. He’d get Archie eventually. He always said he’d do everything all over again if it meant he would get Archie. Maybe a greater power was holding him to it.

FP had been over almost every night for band practice. To be honest, they weren’t good, but they weren’t horrible either. FP was definitely a better guitar player than he was, but Fred could hold a note better than FP could. They made a good team, overall. Fred had never seen FP happier than when they were practicing. 

Homecoming was tonight. He knew Archie’s hadn’t exactly been the best, but he remembered his being one of the best nights of his life. That was when he had told Mary he loved her. As long as everything went according to plan, everything would go fine. Alice had forced Hal to run with her for King and Queen, and she was hell bent on beating Clifford and Penelope. At the rate she was going, she was going to succeed. 

Alice hadn’t been at school in two days. Hal had asked him if Alice was sick, but Fred had told him he had no idea. Even FP seemed worried. 

Gladys had been the one to organize the actual dance. She had been in charge of all the decorations, and she got to decide who got to play the live music at the dance. FP had told him that he agreed to go for a Milkshake with her if she let the Fredheads play. 

FP had called him that night and told him to rest his playing hand, and not to get sick. They would be playing homecoming.

 

The pair had just arrived at the dance, about half an hour before it was supposed to actually start. They were taking their gear into the gymnasium, setting it up onstage, when FP seemed to pause quite suddenly. Fred was about to ask him what was wrong, but FP lunged forward and covered Fred’s mouth before he could speak. After listening for a moment, Fred began to hear what FP was clearly hearing. Alice and Hal were arguing, and Hal sounded absolutely livid.

“I can’t believe you’d do this to me!”

“I-I wasn’t thinking!”

“What the fuck did you think would happen, Alice?”

The moment Fred heard Alice let out a sob, he was prepared to interfere. Apparently FP beat him to the punch, as he was dropping his guitar case, quickly going backstage. Fred followed, getting to the scene just in time to see Hal getting dangerously close to Alice, who had tears streaming down her face. Fred managed to push Hal back just in time before he did anything he might regret, making sure he stayed in between the arguing couple. He could hear FP behind him trying to make sure Alice was alright, and he faintly heard him ask if Hal had hurt her.

Hal seemed to have caught sight of FP, because something clearly snapped. He shoved passed Fred, almost knocking him over, landing a perfectly timed punch to the side of FP’s jaw.

FP staggered back, almost knocking over an unused box of decorations. Hal was on him again before FP had time to steady himself. Suddenly the two teenagers were fighting, Alice was yelling at them to stop, and for a moment, Fred was frozen. This wasn’t supposed to happen. 

He finally moved into action, grabbing Hal by the shoulders, managing (with some trouble, mind you) to yank him backwards, off of FP. He pushed Hal back towards the wall, making sure to stay in between Hal and FP. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Alice moving to FP’s side, asking if he was alright.

“What the hell is going on?”

“He knows what he did!” Hal yelled, his fists clenched, sweat dripping down his face. Fred had never seen anyone so angry. “That was my girlfriend you decided to fuck, asshole!”

Ah. So he found out.

FP didn’t have the courage to answer. 

“How many times, Alice?”

“Hal-”

“How many fucking times?”

Alice and FP shared a look. Alice looked away, ashamed. 

“Nine.”

Hal dragged a hand through his hair. Fred resisted the urge to look surprised. He knew they had hooked up at least twice, but nine times? Jesus Christ.

“Are you going to tell him, or should I?” Hal suddenly grumbled through gritted teeth, and Alice let out a sob. She covered her mouth as FP slowly sat up, wiping the blood on his nose away with the sleeve of his suit jacket.

“Tell me what?”

There was a long, awkward silence. Hal crossed his arms. He didn’t look like he was about to jump FP anymore, but he still looked furious.

“Alice is pregnant.”

Fred saw the color drain from FP’s face. His eyes widened, and he quickly turned to look at Alice, who was trying her hardest to make herself look invisible.

“You said you were on the fucking pill, Alice!”

“I-I am!”

“You’re clearly not!”

Alice let out another sob, and something inside FP seemed to soften. He moved towards her, putting one hand on her back, the other hand fixing a loose strand of hair that had fallen in her face. 

“L-look, I’m sorry, we … we’ll figure this out together, okay? We can make this work.”

Just as Alice began to relax, FP wiping the tears from her face, Hal let out a breathy laugh.

“No. Hell no. You’re either aborting it tomorrow, or I’m telling your parents.”

Fred turned to look at Hal, saying what he knew everyone was thinking.

“That’s super fucked up, Hal. What the hell is wrong with you?”

Hal uncrossed his arms, taking a slow step forward. Fred matched him, as if silently telling him to back off. 

“She’s my girlfriend, Andrews. It’s her mistake. I’m making you an appointment at-”

“I’m not aborting it, Hal.” Alice suddenly snapped, glaring at her boyfriend. Were they even still dating? It was kind of hard to tell at this point. FP suddenly grabbed both of Alice’s hands, giving her a reassuring smile.

“We can run away, okay? You and me. Tomorrow night. I’ve got some money stashed away. I can steal my mom’s credit card or something. Pack a bag tonight when you get home, and we’ll go. We’ll go anywhere you want, Alice.”

“FP, that’s insane.” Fred sighed, offering the pair a sympathetic glance. 

Hal then moved forward, grabbing Alice by the wrist and pulling her to her feet. Fred finally caught sight of her dress. She had on a teal dress with a V shaped neckline, with big, puffy sleeves hanging off her shoulders. The dress didn’t fully reach the floor, but it came down just to her ankles. She had originally had her hair tied back in a tight bun, but all the movement had made it start to come loose. Her makeup was smudged, but she still looked beautiful nonetheless. 

Hal let go of her wrist so he could grab her hand, beginning to tug her down towards the stage door.

FP quickly got up, a desperate look etched into his face.

“Pack a bag!”

Hal spun around, pointing a finger at FP with his free hand.

“If you so much as look at her the wrong way again, I swear to god, you’ll find yourself on the South Side before you have time to call out for help.”  


FP didn’t bother to respond. He knew there was no point. Hal tugged Alice out of the gymnasium, and Fred turned around just in time to see FP dragging his hands across his face, groaning into them.

“You’re bleeding, man.” 

“Thanks, captain obvious.”

The moment FP moved his hands, Fred took a step forward. His mother had a strict policy of carrying tissues around everywhere she went, and she had somehow managed to pass it onto Fred. He pulled a wad of tissues out of his pocket, pulling them apart until he had only one in his hand. He had FP tilt his head up, and Fred pressed the tissue to his nose.

“Deep breaths, FP.”

FP didn’t answer. Fred noticed how badly his hands were shaking. What a lovely way to start your last homecoming. 

“Why do I always fuck things up, Freddy?”

That caught Fred off guard. FP didn’t exactly have a good track record for doing things correctly, but he never usually let that get him down.

“You don’t fuck things up, FP. Sometimes life just decides to fuck some people in the ass harder than the others.”

That made FP laugh. Fred laughed along with him.

“I’m gonna be a dad.”

“Assuming Hal doesn’t get Alice to change her mind.”

They fell into another comfortable silence. When the bleeding had stopped, Fred moved the tissue away from his friends nose. 

“Good thing for me Hal is a lousy hitter.” FP flashed Fred a small smile, and Fred smirked slightly.

The two glanced at the stage when they heard other people beginning to pile into the gymnasium. The dance must be starting. Had it really been half an hour already? 

“C’mon, we’ve gotta finish setting up.”

Fred grabbed FP’s hand, pulling him back onto the stage. He tried to ignore how FP laced their fingers together, giving Fred’s hand a gentle squeeze.

This definitely hadn’t happened before.

 

Fred and FP had started off their set with some Billie Joel. _I Didn’t Start The Fire_ really got everyone excited. Fred saw Hermione in the crowd first. Fuck, she looked pretty. She had on a strapless red dress with frills around the neckline, and a skirt that fluffed out and landed gracefully by her feet. Her hair bounced off her shoulders as she danced, and her smile was easily lighting up the room. He noticed after a while that Alice was now with her, her hair fixed, and her makeup reapplied. Hal was nowhere in sight. Alice was laughing, Hermione holding her hands, spinning them both around. They reminded Fred of Betty and Veronica.

He hoped Betty and Veronica didn’t meet the same ending that Alice and Hermione did.

Mary was the last of their friends to arrive. She came in late, but Fred noticed her the moment she came in. Her dress was strapless and green. It fit her perfectly. It was short, coming only to her knees, the fabric at the bottom seeming to be layered. Her hair was even curlier than usual, causing it to poof out, since it was so short. She was smiling the instant she came into the room, and Fred momentarily forgot the words to the song he was singing. It took FP nudging him with his foot to remember he had to keep going. 

He and Mary made eye contact, and as he smiled at her, she waved at him. She and Hermione had agreed to a truce, just for one evening, and Hermione seemed to be holding up her end of the bargain. Alice and Hermione ran over to her, each of them grabbing one hand, pulling her onto the dance floor. 

Fred and FP shared a smile. They were singing _Livin’ on a Prayer_ by Bon Jovi, and FP had this massive smile on his face. When the song ended, Fred grabbed FP’s hand and pulled him close enough so he could whisper in his ear.

“Sit this one out, okay? I’ve got a surprise.”

At first, FP looked hurt, but he soon began to smile. He nodded, taking off his guitar and placing it on its stand.

“Good luck, Freddy. You’re about to make someone real happy.”

FP jumped down from the stage, and Fred saw him running over to greet their friends. He noticed how quickly Alice looked away, focusing intently on how cool the punch table was. Fred adjusted his guitar, taking a step towards the microphone. He cleared his throat, tapping on it a couple of times to gain everyones attention.

“Hi, uh, hello-hello Riverdale High!” 

That gained a few cheers, mostly from his friends.

“I’d like to dedicate this next song to someone special in the crowd tonight. I’d also like to apologize in advance for butchering an Elvis Presley song.”  


That earned him a few laughs. Fred took a deep, shaky breath, before starting to strum. Almost everyone in the audience knew what it was immediately. Everyone grabbed their dates, beginning to slow dance. FP somehow convinced Hermione to dance with him. Alice and Mary stayed close by, but not dancing. 

Fred closed his eyes.

“ _Wise men say_  
_Only fools rush in,_  
_But I can’t help falling in love with you_  
Shall I stay?  
_Would it be a sin,_  
_If I can’t help falling in love with you?”_

He took a moment to open his eyes. They immediately landed on Mary, who had the biggest smile Fred had ever seen. 

“ _Like a river flows_  
_Surely to the sea_  
_Darling, so it goes_  
_Some things are meant to be_  
_Take my hand,_  
_Take my whole life, too_  
_For I can’t help falling in love with you.”_

Fred could see Mary’s cheeks flushing. They never once broke eye contact. She finally pointed to herself, silently asking if the song was for her. Fred smiled, giving one quick nod. Mary covered her mouth, her smile only widening. Out of the corner of his eye, Fred saw FP and Hermione stop dancing, and suddenly FP was leaving the gymnasium. Fred tore his eyes away from Mary just in time to see the doors shut, and Hermione still standing there, looking confused. After a moment, she ran out after him. Alice was looking longingly at Hal, who was off with a few of his other friends, sipping from a flask in the corner of the gymnasium. He couldn’t worry about that now. This was about Mary. He looked back at her, seeing her beginning to walk towards the edge of the stage. 

“ _Like a river flows_  
_Surely to the sea_  
_Darling, so it goes,_  
_Some things are meant to be_  
_Take my hand_ ,  
_Take my whole life, too_  
_For I can’t help falling in love with you_  
_For I can’t help falling in love with you.”_

__

The song ended, and everyone began to clap. Fred put down his guitar, jumping off of the stage, and Mary immediately came over to him. The moment she was in arms reach, he pulled her close, and the crowd began to clap as the pair shared a kiss. They broke apart, and for a moment, neither teenager knew what to do. Finally, Mary took both of Fred’s hands.

__

“Something’s wrong with FP.”

__

“I know. I saw.”

__

“You should go talk to him.”

__

“I saw Hermione go out.”

__

“He’s your best friend, Freddy. I promise I’ll be here when you get back.”

__

She kissed him again, and Fred knew he had to go. He’d be a dick if he didn’t go.

__

 

__

He searched the entire school, but found neither Hermione nor FP. Where hadn’t he checked yet? Right. Boys locker room. Fred ran there, but found the door already open slightly. He could hear FP and Hermione talking quietly inside, and Fred could smell cigarette smoke. He knew Hermione didn’t smoke, so it was definitely FP.

__

“Why did I think I even had an inkling of a chance, ‘Mione?”

__

“You’re a hopeless romantic, FP.”

__

They must have been talking about Alice. Had FP really been in love with her?

__

Fred heard FP give a shaky laugh. Was he crying?

__

“I’m such a fucking idiot.”

__

“Don’t say that. You’re not an idiot. There’s going to be lots of other people you fall for!”

__

“Aren’t you upset? Fred just professed his love to Mary in there. I thought you and Freddy were endgame?”

__

“Actually … I kind of met someone. He was passing through town last week and he stopped by Pop’s for a milkshake. I was his waitress. He left his phone number on one of the napkins.”

__

“What was his name? Was he cute at least?”

__

“Hiram Lodge.”

__

Fred listened closely. Hermione had officially met Hiram. She wasn't supposed to meet him until after New Years, but alright. No going back now. No changing history. He marries Mary, and he gets Archie. That was the future he wanted. That was the future he needed.

__

“To be honest, FP, part of me was rooting for you.”

__

“Really?”

__

“Yeah. I kind of hoped you and Fred would be endgame.”

__

“That was the dream.”

__

Fred felt his heart leap into his throat. FP was in love with him? No way. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Had he fucked something up? He must have fucked something up. FP was supposed to fall in love with Gladys. Not him.

__

Fred had to leave. He could feel his breathing starting to pick up. Shit. He’d screwed everything up. Everything was wrong. What if he never got Archie? What if something else went wrong?

__

He hadn’t even noticed FP and Hermione coming out of the locker room. Fred and FP locked eyes, and FP looked momentarily horrified.

__

“Freddy.”

__

Fred just started to shake his head. He couldn’t be here. He couldn’t face this right now. He took a quick step back, just as FP took a step forward.

__

“Freddy, just listen to me, okay?”

__

Fred didn’t give FP time to explain. He spun around, running down the hallway and out the front doors as fast as his legs would carry him. FP had the keys to the Shaggin Waggin. Fred ended up running most of the way home, before he had to stop. Breathing heavily, Fred doubled over, resting his hands on his knees.

__

He’d fucked up the timeline. Everything was wrong.

__

He just couldn’t figure out how.

__


	5. The Sisters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Did he say anything to you last night?”  
> “He wanted to leave with Alice, so they could-”  
> “Train station!” Hermione blurted out, her eyes wide, “If they wanted a quick getaway, they would have gone to the train station!”  
> The trio ran back out to the car, and Fred floored it toward the train station.  
> He just had to hope FP and Alice hadn’t left yet.

Homecoming had been on a Friday, so Fred was lucky enough to have had the weekend alone with his parents to decompress. FP didn’t come by for Sunday dinner like he normally did. Fred’s mother had asked him if everything was alright, and Fred had just shrugged in response. His parents had shared a worried look, but ended up dropping the subject.

Monday morning, just as Fred was arriving to school (his dad was sick and staying home from work, so he’d let Fred take the truck), Hermione and Mary came running up to him.

“We’ve been trying to find you all morning!”

“I just got here. What’s the matter?”

“Everything. Do you have the car?”

“Of course, why?”

Hermione looked around frantically. Mary grabbed Fred’s hand to get his attention. Even she looked worried. Fred had never actively seen the girls work together before. It was kind of creepy.

“It’s Alice and FP. We need to get Alice out of that house. Hal told her mother last night. Apparently her dad left in an rage looking for FP. Apparently he had his gun.”

Fred didn’t know how to respond for a moment.

“How do you know about this?”

It was Hermione that responded.

“Alice called me. Her mom took the phone and hung it up, and when I tried calling back no one would pick up. FP isn’t in school today, neither is Alice.”

Fred was fumbling for the keys that he had just put in his pocket, pulling them out again.

“Let’s go.”

 

They went to FP’s house first. It was down by the railroad tracks, in one of the more sketchy looking neighborhoods. Fred stopped the car in the driveway. FP’s truck was there. Thank God. He was still home. Hermione was the first one out of the car. She raced to the front door with Mary and Fred hot on her tail. She pounded on the door, but when there was no answer, Mary had her step aside. She pulled a hairpin out of her hair, bending down to pick the lock. The door final swung open, and Hermione’s eyes widened.

“How’d you learn to do that?”

Mary straightened up, shrugging as she put the pin back in her hair.

“Saw it on a tv show once.”

Fred moved passed them both. No one was home, from what he could see. FP’s dad was probably already drunk, despite it being 9:14am, and his mom had probably gone to run some errands. FP’s sisters would all be in school. 

“Where’s his room?”

“Upstairs. Follow me.”

Fred took the stairs two at a time, practically tripping over himself to get to FP’s bedroom. He burst through the door, and his heart sank at what he saw. He heard Hermione quietly curse behind him.

FP’s room had more or less been cleaned out. His closet was open and empty. His backpack was gone, and so were a few of his more prized possessions. The window was open, the curtains flapping gently as the wind came through the room. Mary pushed passed Fred, climbing onto the bed to look outside the window.

“There’s a ladder and tracks in the mud.”

“Where would he have gone?”

Fred had to think. Normally he would have said his own house, but after what happened, Fred didn’t think FP would ever want to show his face there again. 

“Pop’s?”

Mary got off the bed, nodding.

“Did he say anything to you last night?”

“He wanted to leave with Alice, so they could-”

“Train station!” Hermione blurted out, her eyes wide, “If they wanted a quick getaway, they would have gone to the train station!”

The trio ran back out to the car, and Fred floored it toward the train station. 

He just had to hope FP and Alice hadn’t left yet.

 

Well, he was partially right.

When they arrived, FP was still there. He was sitting on a bench outside, shivering, his bag full of his belongings resting on the empty spot next to him. He must have been there all night.

“There’s a blanket in the back.” Fred told Hermione, who was already reaching for it. She was the first one out of the car, racing towards him. FP didn’t even seem to notice she was there until he felt the blanket being wrapped around his shoulders. 

Part of Fred didn’t want to get out of the car. He knew Hermione would be able to handle whatever was going on, but he knew he’d make FP feel worse about what happened if he didn’t at least try to help. 

Mary seemed to read his thoughts, because she reached over and put a hand on his knee. 

“Come out when you’re ready, Freddy.” 

She then followed Hermione’s lead, leaving the car and joining her over by FP. Fred took a deep breath, giving himself a moment before he got out of the car and came over as well. 

FP’s lips were blue, and he looked grateful for the blanket around his shoulders. Hermione was sitting next to him, one hand on his back, while Mary stayed standing on FP’s other side. Fred came to a stop right in front of FP, who hesitantly looked up at him, swallowing the lump forming in his throat.

“I’m … I’m sorry, Fred. You were never supposed to know.” His voice was raspy, and thick with emotion. Fred felt a pang of guilt in his chest. He shouldn’t have run off. The mature thing would have been to have stayed with FP and talked it through. 

Before he knew what he was doing, he was leaning down to pull FP into a tight hug. FP seemed to hesitate, but eventually wrapped his arms around Fred’s middle, his forehead resting on Fred’s shoulder. FP was shaking, and Fred let his hand gently drag itself up and down his back. FP was his best friend. They’d been through a lot of shit together. This was nothing they couldn’t work out.

“I’m not mad, FP.”

“Alice didn’t come to meet me.” 

That made Fred pull away. He saw Mary digging through her pockets for any spare change, making her way over to the nearby pay phone to most likely try and call Alice.

Fred placed his hands on FP’s shoulders, both boys frowning.

“Did she say she was going to?”

FP slowly began to nod.

“I met up with her after you left. She … she was supposed to meet me here at 6am. We were going to go to my Uncle’s house upstate, until we could find a place for ourselves and the baby. She never came.”

Fred squeezed FP’s shoulder reassuringly.

“Why are you going to so much trouble if you don’t love her, buddy?”

FP let out a breathy laugh.

“It’s my kid, Fred. She and Hal haven’t fucked yet. Hal’s waiting till marriage, or something stupid like that. I’m not gonna let myself become that bastard who doesn’t step up to the challenge. It’s my baby, and I wanna help in any way I can.”

“That’s so sweet, FP. More than half of the people in this town would just left.”

Hermione and FP shared a tired smile. She leaned in to kiss his cheek, just as Mary ran back over.

“There’s no answer. I-I’m starting to get a bad feeling.”

Fred began to nod. He rose to his feet again, just as Hermione was helping FP stand.

“Should we go over there?”

“If I come within 50 feet of her house I’m pretty sure her dad will fill my skull with lead.” FP muttered, and Hermione linked his arm.

“Can you drop FP and I off at my house? I’ll try and get him warmed up and fed. My parents will understand. You and Mary go make sure Alice is okay.”

Fred piled everyone into the car. Mary in the front seat with him, while Hermione and FP where in the backseat. Fred had the heater as high as it could go, hoping it would help FP warm up somewhat.

He dropped FP and Hermione off at her house, and made sure to wait until they were inside to make a very illegal U-turn, heading towards the home of Alice.

The car was silent. Eventually, Fred reached over and took Mary’s hand in his own.

“What are you thinking about?”

“I just really hope we make it in time.”

 

By the time they arrived to Alice’s home, Fred could feel Mary’s hand shaking in his. What if something was wrong? What if they really hadn’t made it in time? Fred knew Alice’s parents were strict, religious people, but how far would they go if they found out their underage daughter had gotten herself pregnant by someone other than her boyfriend? Fred shuddered to think about it.

He parked in the driveway. He and Mary exchanged a worried look, before both exiting the car and going to the front door. Alice’s dad’s car was gone, meaning he was at work. Good. Fred hated talking to Alice’s dad. He always had this vibe about him that said he was about to kill you and dump your body somewhere no one would ever find it. 

Mary was the one to knock on the front door. When there was no answer, she reached for her hairpin, but Fred stopped her.

“Maybe don’t break into their house. Try knocking again.”

Mary sighed, but knocked again nonetheless. Finally, Alice’s mother opened the door. Fred forgot how angry she always looked. She constantly looked like something was annoying her. Alice always joked about how her mother was born with a stick so far up her ass, she can’t help but feel any emotion other than anger. Alice was a spitting image of her mother. Blonde hair, same eyes, nose shape. Alice’s father looked nothing like her whatsoever. It was hard to even realize they were related sometimes. 

“What do you two want?” She snapped at them. Fred had the overwhelming urge to run for the hills, but Mary seemed to only gain more confidence.

“We want to see Alice.”

Her mother looked between the both of them, narrowing her eyes. 

“Alice isn’t well.”

“Is she home?”

“I said she isn’t-”

Fred let a wave of adrenaline take over him. He was suddenly pushing passed Alice’s mother, making a b-line for the stairs. He took them two at a time, yelling out Alice’s name until he reached her bedroom. Alice’s mother must have caught Mary as she tried to go inside, as Fred made it to the top of the stairs alone. He burst into Alice’s room, and found that literally nothing had changed. Everything was the exact same way it normally was. Alice, however, was gone. 

Alice’s mother came running up the stairs after Fred, her eyes full of rage.

“Get out of my house this instant!”

“Not until you tell us where Alice is!” 

“My daughter is sick. Until she is better, she’s somewhere that she can get the help she needs! Now, get out!” She was screaming in Fred’s face now, and Fred could feel her spit hitting him in the face. He had so many things he wanted to say to her, but he knew none of them would help. He pushed passed her, storming down the stairs to the front door where Mary was waiting for him. He grabbed her hand, practically dragging her out the front door and back to his truck.

“I take it she wasn’t there.”

“No.”

“Where is she?”

Fred knew exactly where Alice was. They had to get the idea as to where to send Polly somewhere, right?

“The Sister’s of Quiet Mercy.” 

 

Fred knew going there wasn’t a good idea. He knew it would only cause more trouble, but at the same time, he wanted to make sure Alice was okay. He knew FP did too. After the dramatic event at Alice’s house, Fred drove himself and Mary back to Hermione’s house. They promised they’d give them updates, and Fred knew it would be better for FP if they did it in person. 

Fred knocked on Hermione’s front door, and almost immediately, the door swung open. He could see FP in the background, sitting in front of the fireplace, hot chocolate in his hands and a blanket around his shoulders. His bag with all of his belongings was sitting next to him. Hermione gave Fred a sad look when she realized Alice wasn’t among them.

“Where is she?”

“Her mother said she was sick. She put her in a mental hospital.”

In the background, FP put his mug down and jumped to his feet.

“What? We have to go get her!” 

“We need to talk this out first. She clearly decided not to abort the baby. Her mother is going to make her put it up for adoption, that’s why she’s where she is.”

FP dragged a hand over his face. He shrugged the blanket on, adjusting his hat.

“We have to go!”

“FP, stop.” Fred sighed, taking a few steps towards him until they were directly in front of each other.

“Freddy, that’s my kid … I have to.”

“You can’t, FP. Not yet.” 

FP looked so lost in that moment. Honestly, the guy looked like a kicked puppy. He so badly wanted to help, especially since it was his child. When Jughead had first been born, FP had been so devoted. He had given everything to his son. He had tried to give him the entire world, but when his marriage began to fail, Jughead began to get left behind. There was nothing any of them could do. 

FP sunk down onto the couch. Mary took a seat beside him, placing a hand on his back while FP buried his head in his hands. Fred and Hermione shared a look, one that silently said ‘ _we have to do something_ ’. 

Just then, the phone began to ring. Hermione jumped, her eyes widening. Who was calling the house at 10am? Hermione spun around, grabbing the phone off it’s place on the wall.

“Hello?” She hesitated, listening for an answer. Her face suddenly flushed a bright shade of red, and she began to mumble into the phone. Her body language suddenly changed, and she locked eyes with Fred. “Actually, there is something you can do for me, Hiram. My friends and I need a favor.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to follow my tumblr btw. @subject-to-feels
> 
> Next chapter we meet Hiram! I'm not emotionally prepared


	6. A Little Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fred suddenly saw Hermione smile, and she quickly stood up. Fred followed her gaze, just in time to see a black car parking across the street. Fred couldn’t tell what type of car it was. Car’s had always been Hal’s specialty, not his. If you needed to know something about different types of wood, Fred was your guy.  
>  “It’s Hiram!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who's ready for our favourite sugar daddy? ITS HIRAM LODGE

“This is a bad idea, Freddy,” Mary mumbled, lacing her fingers with Fred’s. It had been three weeks since Alice had been sent away, FP had more or less run away from home, and everything had kind of gone to shit. Hermione had called in a favor to her new boyfriend (sugar daddy, in Fred’s opinion. Hiram was 26, and Hermione was a week away from turning 18), Hiram Lodge, asking him to help them sneak into the Sister’s of Quiet Mercy in order to see Alice. If everything went well, Fred was pretty sure FP would attempt to sneak her out. Three weeks was way too long for them to wait, but Hiram was a "busy man". He could only come into town on certain days. He was three towns over, attempting to negotiate some form of a deal with the town's mayor.

Their entire group was sitting by the bus stop in front of the large building the Sisters occupied, waiting for Hiram to show up. FP was pacing, despite having been told six times by Hermione to stop. He was playing with the rim of his hat, occasionally moving like he was going to put it on, but he never did. He was nervous. He had every right to be. The woman who was carrying his baby was locked up in a mental hospital. Part of Fred couldn’t help but wonder if this was going to be a parallel to what would eventually happen. Polly got pregnant. She and Jason planned to run away together. What if FP was the new Jason? Fred cleared his throat. He couldn’t afford to think like that right now. He couldn’t even imagine the future without FP in it. 

He glanced to his left. Sitting next to him on the bench was Hermione, tapping her leg anxiously. With every car that passed, she would mumble “that’s not him”, and huff dejectedly. Fred could tell a part of her was wondering if Hiram wasn’t coming. She adjusted her scarf, tightening it, and Fred took a moment to put a hand on her knee. He tried to ignore how Hermione’s cheeks flushed. It was the cold, he told himself. It had to be.

Mary was on his right. She was still holding his hand, her head now resting on his shoulder. She looked tired. She had been so worried about today, she had mentioned to Fred that she hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep last night. She had on thick, fuzzy mittens, which was good for Fred, really. He had forgotten his mittens at home, so Mary was sort of acting as his living heating pad. It was beginning to snow, and even with a large coat on, Fred was starting to shiver. How FP could only be in jeans, a t-shirt, and flannel and not be cold still amazed him. That man never failed to amaze him.

Fred suddenly saw Hermione smile, and she quickly stood up. Fred followed her gaze, just in time to see a black car parking across the street. Fred couldn’t tell what type of car it was. Car’s had always been Hal’s specialty, not his. If you needed to know something about different types of wood, Fred was your guy.

“It’s Hiram!” Hermione tugged on Fred’s arm, almost bouncing on the spot when a man got out of the drivers seat.

Fred had actually forgotten what a young Hiram Lodge looked like. He had to admit, he wasn’t bad looking. He had thick black hair, styled perfectly, but Fred could see the curls that were trying to break free of their mold on his head. He had glasses, and Fred could faintly make out the outline of a suit underneath the dark brown pea coat he wore. When he caught sight of Hermione, he smiled. His teeth were white and perfectly straight, and he had dimples. Jesus. Fred could see what Hermione had originally seen in this guy. He was slightly tanned, and despite being across the road, Fred could see where Veronica Lodge had gotten her looks. It hadn’t entirely been Hermione’s genes.

Hermione checked both ways before sprinting across the street. Hiram ran around the car, scooping her up into his arms when they were close enough. He spun her around before setting her down, pressing a quick kiss to her lips. Hermione had her hands resting on his chest, and Fred had never seen her smile so wide. Hiram really made her happy. Fred could never have made her smile like that.

FP was crossing the street next. Mary and Fred followed closely behind, and Hiram turned to face the rest of their group. He kept his arm around Hermione’s waist, almost protectively, and he flashed his signature smile at everyone.

“You must be Hermione’s friends. I’ve heard a lot about you.” 

His voice was softer than Fred remembered it to be. Maybe it’s because he imagined modern day Hiram Lodge as dark and mysterious. He was just a guy who happened to have a lot of money. Hiram stuck out his hand, and Fred almost hesitated. Luckily, FP moved forward to shake it first. 

“FP Jones. Pleasure to meet-”

“Not necessary. The pleasure’s all mine.”

Mary was next. She held out her hand to shake Hiram’s, but Hiram bent down, taking her hand and kissing it lightly. 

“You must be Mary. Even more beautiful in person, dear.”

Mary blushed, having to bite back a smile. Fred instinctively put a hand on Mary’s back, holding out his hand to shake Hiram’s. Hiram met his eyes, and for a split second, his smile faltered. He clearly knew who Fred was. They shook hands, Hiram’s grip uncomfortably tight. 

“And you must be Fred. I’ve heard the most about you.”

Fred could only force a smile. He had to be the bigger man. He knew Hiram hated him. Hell, Hiram would always hate him. Up until the day he died.   
Something dawned on him. He felt his right side tingle, right where he knew in the future, a masked robber would shoot him. Had Hiram hired … No. he couldn’t think about that now.

“Only heard good things, I hope.” 

Hiram gave a tense smile before dropping Fred’s hand. Fred could have sworn he saw him wipe his hand off on his coat. He cleared his throat, pulling Hermione close again.

“Is everyone ready to go inside?”

“How do you plan on sneaking us in?” FP cut in, crossing his arms.

Hiram turned to look at him, his signature smile returning. It was starting to get old, but Hermione still looked like an excited school girl who was seeing her lifelong crush for the first time. 

“I have my ways. All you need to do is trust, Forsythe.”

FP looked uncomfortable, but he didn’t bring it up. He and Fred exchanged a look that was picked up by both of them.

Could they really trust this guy?

Hiram let go of Hermione, clapping his hands once, looking at everyone.

“Let’s get started, shall we?”

 

How Hiram managed to distract the nurse long enough for them to sneak in, Fred wasn’t sure. She had to be at least 80 years old, with white hair and a limp. Hiram had flashed her a smile, kissing her hand and muttering that she was the most beautiful creation on God’s green Earth. Hermione and FP had rushed them passed, while Mary kept watch on the front desk incase any nurses were to see them. Fred, Hermione, and FP all snuck into the back. Worst case scenario, if they got caught, Hiram had promised to pay their bail as many times as it took. 

The hallways were almost empty. In a way, it was scary. It reminded Fred of some weird horror movie, and he half expected some vampire to jump out of the shadows and try to suck his blood. FP was walking ahead of everyone, checking each room for any signs of Alice. He suddenly tripped, backtracking to one of the rooms he had passed. His eyes were wide, and he gripped the bars attached to the door, the small window into Alice’s room.

“Alice-”

“FP?” 

Fred heard her before he saw her. Hermione tugged on his arm, yanking him forward just as FP tried to wiggle the doorknob. When it didn’t open, he took a few steps back, rolling up his sleeves as if he was about to try and break down the door.

Fred and Hermione both yelled at him not to, but Alice’s yell of protest was what made him stop. Alice got up off her bed and came over to the door, reaching up to hold onto the bars. Fred could see she had on a red sweater, covering a long blue dress. FP came back over to the bars, frowning worriedly.

“We came to break you out, Alice.”

“How did you even get in?”

“Hermione’s new sugar daddy helped out.”

Hermione slapped FP in the arm, and for the first time in a few days, Fred saw FP crack a smile. Alice smiled as well, leaning up on her tippy toes. She brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes, her nose crinkling.

“I can’t believe you guys broke in to break me out. If you get caught, you’re all dead, you know that? My mom will kill you all personally.” 

“Fuck her.” FP’s tone shocked even Fred. “This is our kid, not hers. She shouldn’t lock you away just because you got pregnant!”

Fred saw Alice’s smile fading. She glanced at all of their friends, before looking back at FP.

“I’m … I’m so sorry.”

FP looked concerned. He tightened his grip on the bars, taking another step closer. He was practically pressed up against them now.

“What? Why?”

“They’re making me put it up for adoption. I’m so sorry, FP. I tried to stop them. There was nothing I could do.”

FP looked like he had been punched in the gut. His jaw tightened, and he hung his head for a moment. Fred almost didn’t hear him when he spoke.

“You’re sure there’s nothing?”

Fred felt like he shouldn’t be listening. This was a private conversation. He and Hermione shouldn’t be listening. He nudged her arm, gesturing for her to start walking down the hall. 

“If I could do something, I would. You know that. I want it just as much as you do.” 

Hermione suddenly elbowed Fred in the ribs, her eyes wide. She stepped forward, grabbing FP’s hand and tugging on it.

“We have to-”

“Who are you three? You’re not wearing visitors passes!” 

For a second, Fred thought it was the same woman Hiram had been trying to seduce in the lobby. She looked frail, like one sneeze would turn all of her bones into dust. 

“Go! I’ll be fine. I promise.” Alice took FP’s hand, the one still clutching the bars, and she forced him to let go. Hermione tugged on FP’S other hand, dragging him down the hall just as the Nurse began to call for security. Fred ran along beside them, but when they made it into the lobby, he collided quite roughly with Hiram, who was waiting patiently for them with Mary.

Mary frowned the moment she saw them.

“Where’s Alice?”

“You were supposed to be keeping watch!” Hermione said quickly, grabbing Hiram’s hand, already moving them towards the door. 

“We were!” 

The group of four raced outside, towards Hiram’s car. Once they were more or less safe, and the nurses refused to go outside to follow them, Hiram sucked in a sharp breath.

“Do you guys need a ride back to Riverdale?”

“We took the bus, so yeah.” Mary sighed, crossing her arms. Hiram opened the back door for them, but Mary was the only one who entered. Hermione got in the passengers seat. FP stood still.

“I’m gonna take the bus. Have some time to cool down.”

Fred sighed, watching his friend. He finally zipped up his jacket, nodding.

“I’ll take the bus home too. We’ll see you tomorrow, okay? Try and get some rest.” Fred turned to Hiram, who was watching him like a hawk. He held out his hand to shake Hiram’s again, and Hiram hesitantly took it. “Thank you for your help. Maybe we’ll see each other again soon.”

Hiram gave Fred a smile that was almost creepy. He gripped Fred’s hand, a silent warning, before releasing it.

“I assure you, Fred Andrews, we will.”

 

The bus ride back to Riverdale was quiet, for the most part. Fred and FP were sitting near the back, and due to the snow, they were pretty much the only ones there. There was one other man sitting near the front, but he was reading. 

FP was laying across the back seat, while Fred was standing. For a while, Fred thought FP might have fallen asleep, but his huff wiped that thought clean from his mind.

“I’m probably never gonna see my kid, am I?”

Fred could feel part of his heart breaking. FP really did want to help in any way he could.

“You don’t know that, F-”

“Don’t bullshit me, Andrews. Not right now.”

Fred hesitated. When FP moved his legs, Fred sat down next to him.

“I don’t know, buddy. Probably not. I’m sorry.”

FP didn’t answer. He adjusted his hat so it covered his face, and they fell silent again.


	7. Biggest Mistake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's New Years, boys

Before anyone really had time to blink, Christmas break was upon them. Alice was still with the Sister’s, FP was more miserable and angsty than ever, and Mary spent most of her time trying to make sure Fred didn’t feel overwhelmed by the entire situation. Despite Mary’s efforts, it was hard not to feel overwhelmed. One of his best friends was pregnant with the other best friends baby, while the first best friend was locked away in the equivalent of an insane asylum. A third friend was having sex with a man who was 8 years older than her, and to top it all off, Fred was actually a 45 year old man with a son and a business that he had no real way of getting back to, and not having Archie around was starting to take his toll on him.

Even if Archie had just moved out, Fred would be able to contact him. In the time he was in now, Archie wasn’t alive. No one knew what he was going through, and although Mary had offered to help if he only told her, he knew she would think he had gone absolutely batshit crazy if he were to tell her. He wasn’t stupid. He just had to shut his mouth and suck it up. He would get his son back eventually. Everything would be okay. It would just take a while. 

His parents insisted that he stay home for Christmas. It was his last one before he planned to move out, and they wanted to him to have one more Christmas morning where he woke up, and came downstairs to see his parents had already set out all of the gifts. 

Hermione had invited FP over to her house for Christmas. FP wasn’t living at home anymore. He had told Fred about a week ago. He’d gotten home from visiting Alice, and his dad had lost it. Threatened to stab FP if he didn’t pack his stuff and get out. FP was bouncing from place to place, but Fred had given him the offer to stay at his house. FP had agreed he’d move in after Christmas, but before New Years Eve. 

Christmas day itself had gone well. His mom and dad had gotten him a car of his own, and Fred had practically cried with excitement. He had missed his own, actual car. The car he had in the present day was the same one his parents had given him. It was his second baby. Sure, it had been given new parts and touch ups over the years, but it was still something to remind him why he was doing all this. He was doing everything he was doing to get to where he was supposed to be; he had to get to the future, with his son.

FP came over on December 26th. He had on an actual jacket and a beanie, both things Fred had never seen him wear before. Sure, the guy wore beanies when he was older, but was this how it started? 

They both stood in the doorway, staring at one another. Fred was the first to speak.

“New clothes?”

“Hermione’s mom insisted on including me when they were opening presents. I spent half an hour apologizing because I didn’t think to return the favor.”

Fred cracked a smile, and FP did the same. Stepping aside, Fred allowed FP to bring himself and his things into the house. Almost immediately, Linda was running up to greet them, pulling FP into a bear hug.

“You should have come sooner! Your bed has been ready since Friday!” 

“I didn’t want to make Christmas awkward.”

Fred’s mother pulled away, squishing FP’s cheeks together.

“You wouldn’t have made things awkward! You’re just as much apart of our family as Fred is. You’re my second son, and you better make sure you don’t forget it,” Linda took a deep breath, letting go of FP’s face, “now, come take your shoes off. i’ll put some of last nights leftover’s in the microwave. Every time I see you, I swear to God you’re losing more and more weight.”

His mother left the room, mumbling about FP’s weight problem. The two teenagers shared a smile, before following her into the kitchen.

 

Having FP around was nice, actually. He had someone to try and take his mind off of everything that was going on. He could pretend, even for just a little while, that everything was fine and that he was a real teenager again. It was New Years Eve, and Mary was hosting a party for all of their friends at her house.

Fred’s mom had forced him and FP to bring hummus and pita bread. It had since been abandoned on the coffee table, along with the salad Hermione’s mom had made, and the now empty chip bags Mary had supplied. There were red cups scattered throughout the room, a good majority of them lacking their original contents. Mary had seemed worried about cleaning everything up at first, but after her first solo cup had been emptied and Fred had promised to help clean up in the morning, she’d stopped worrying and had taken up a spot on the couch alongside Hermione.

Fred had to admit, since this whole thing with Alice had happened, the girls had started to get along more and more. He was grateful for that. The last thing their little group needed was internal squabbling. Hermione and Mary must have realized that too. 

He and FP on the other hand, had taken up permanent residence on a small corner of the floor by the fireplace, who’s red and orange flames were providing the warmth that Fred so desperately craved. He had felt like a living popsicle all day, and despite FP having given him his signature flannel shirt, it hadn’t helped. Well, it had helped a little, but not the way he wanted it too.

FP was sitting with his knees to his chest, giggling quietly about something Fred couldn’t make out through all of his slurring. He heard the words “football” and “Dan Matthews” and “holy shit” at one point, but that was it. Nonetheless, Fred was smiling while he listened to his friend tell his story. Whatever he was talking about, FP was excited, which made Fred excited. 

In that moment while FP was going off, Fred found himself zoning out. It felt like yesterday that he had walked into Archie’s room to find him and Jughead curled up on Archie’s bed, smiling and giggling about something that had happened at school, with Betty and Veronica. He had ignored the way he saw both boy’s fingers brushing together, or the way Jughead stared a little longer at Archie than he normally would. Archie had calmly and politely asked his dad to get out of his room, and after Fred obliged and was shutting the door, he could have sworn he heard Jughead’s sigh of relief, and Archie let out a quiet chuckle. Who was he to judge, especially when he – 

“Freddy!” 

FP nudged his arm, snapping Fred out of his little daydream. FP was grinning from ear to ear, his face flushed, and his eyes wide.

“What?” Fred found himself letting out a breathy laugh as he watched his friend.

“There’s two minutes until midnight!”

Fred jumped to his feet alongside FP, taking a moment to look over at Hermione and Mary. Mary had fallen asleep at one point, stretched out along the couch with her legs in Hermione’s lap. Hermione on the other hand, kept glancing out the window, frowning. Fred vaguely remembered her telling him that Hiram had promised to come, and yet here they were, a minute and a half away from midnight, and Hiram Lodge had failed to show up. Hermione, still watching the window, seemed to be waiting for him to still walk through the front door. Fred knew that deep down, Hermione understood that if he hadn’t shown up by now, he wouldn’t show up at all. What a dickweed. 

When they only had a minute left, FP suddenly grabbed ahold of Fred’s wrist. The man was always more affectionate when he was drunk. He would lean against Fred, or cuddle up against Mary’s side. Once he even fell asleep with his head in Hermione’s lap, with his legs over Alice’s lap. Both girls had simply smiled, neither one of them daring to wake him up. Fred wished they could go back to when things were so simple, so easy. 

FP continued to grip his wrist, and FP turned properly to look at his friend. FP leaned closer, close enough that Fred could smell the alcohol on his breath. How much had he actually had? 

“Freddy.”

“FP.”

“Freeeedddyyyyyy.”

“Yeeeees?”

Ten.

“I love you, man.”

Nine.

“I love you too, buddy.”

Eight.

“No, no, like … I love you.”

“What?”

Seven.

“I’m in love with you!”

Six.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Fred couldn’t find it in himself to answer.

Two.

He was moving before he could stop himself. 

One.

Just as Hermione let out a loud, “HAPPY NEW YEAR”, waking up Mary, Fred had launched into action. He was holding FP by the sides of his head, pressing a firm kiss to his lips. FP immediately returned the kiss, and Fred could feel FP beginning to smile, the heat radiating off of his face and causing Fred to blush as well.

When they broke apart, FP had the biggest smile etched onto his face. Fred wasn’t sure he had ever seen FP smile so wide. Fred couldn’t help but smile right back at him. The pair stared at each other for a moment, until Fred saw movement out of the corner of his eye.

He tore his gaze away from FP just long enough to see Mary launching herself up off the couch, and bolting up the stairs. He heard her bedroom door slam shut, and in an instant, Hermione had jumped to her feet.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” She snapped at Fred, before racing up the stairs after Mary, faintly calling out her name as she went to try and defuse the situation.

Fred finally let go of FP, taking a quick step back. FP’s smile had been wiped clean off of his face, and Fred had to ignore FP’s eyes as they bore into him.

He had kissed FP Jones. Right in front of Mary. She was going to leave him. He was never going to get Archie. He had fucked up beyond repair. 

FP reached out to him, but Fred smacked his hand away. He couldn’t do this. 

“Freddy, it’s not so bad-”

Fred rounded on him, his fists clenched at his sides. Anger surged through him, and he was yelling before he could stop himself.

“It IS bad! Everything fucking sucks! This wasn’t supposed to be like this! I’m supposed to marry Mary and have Archie, but now that’s never going to happen, all because I made some stupid fucking wish, and all I do is fuck things up!”

FP simply stared at him, his eyes wide and full of confusion.

“What … what are you talking about?”

Shit. Shit. What had he done?

Fred’s chest was heaving. He knew he looked mortified. FP was still staring at him intently, waiting for an explanation.

“Nothing, it’s nothing. I should go-”

“No. I think you have some explaining to do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wHhhhHHOOOOOooooppppPPPPSSSssss


	8. Explaining

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fred finally explains everything that's been going on, will they be able to find a solution?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'ALL THOUGHT I WAS DEAD AND YET HERE WE ARE BOYSSSSSSSSSSS ENJOY

The world around Fred was spinning, and he could feel the bile rising in his throat. This was all too much, Fred couldn’t handle it. The second that he felt tears stinging the corners of his eyes his hands shot up to cover his face, and FP’s angry and confused facade shattered.

“Freddy...”

“Leave me alone, FP.”

Fred wanted to turn and run, but he couldn’t force his legs to move. They felt like cement, and they appeared to be attached to the floor. Two hands were soon grasping ahold of his wrists, pulling his hands down away from his eyes. Fred was trembling as he tried to force back the tears, but the two arms suddenly wrapping around his waist and the shoulder Fred pressed his head into allowed the teen to fully break down, the stress of everything finally hitting him.

His hands balled up into FP’s jacket as the tears fell down his cheeks, the only thing keeping him grounded was the hand rubbing circles in between his shoulder blades, the scent of alcohol and leather, plus the hint of mint from FP’s shampoo made Fred feel a little bit safer than before. 

“It’s okay, Freddy. We can talk when you’re ready.” FP’s voice was soft and reassuring, it only made Fred feel more guilty for everything he’s done. He pulled back enough so he could look at the taller boy, and FP simply grinned at him. Fred felt hands coming up to rest on his cheeks and two rough pads of FP’s thumbs were drying his tears, wiping off his cheeks. “Let’s go on a little drive, okay? Just you and me. You can tell me what’s going on.” 

“What the fucking hell is wrong with you?!” Hermione was coming down the stairs again, and Fred had to turn his back to her. The tears had started up again, and Fred had to focus all his energy on not trembling or letting Hermione see his moment of venerability. FP’s hand was on his arm, but he soon let go and took a step towards the angry brunet.

“Hermione, not right now-”

“Not right now my ass, FP! What the fuck were you thinking, Fred? You know how much you hurt her?”

Fred couldn’t help himself. The first sob bubbled up in his throat, and Fred covered his mouth with his hand to keep the rest down. He heard Hermione stumble over her words and for a moment she was speechless, but she knew she needed to defend Mary. No one else was going to do it, dammit.

“Fred Andrews, look at me before I make you.”

“Hermione, stop it!” FP was almost shouting, and Fred spun around when he heard a slap ring out through the living room. FP was staggering back, eyes now wide as his right cheek began to grow red. Hermione was glaring at him, and she pointed a finger at the older boy.

“Listen up, Jones, because I am only going to say this once. You need to mind your own-”

“Stop it!” Fred’s voice cracked, and two sets of eyes turned to look at him. Fred had balled his hand up in his sleeve and was wiping his face off, breath hitching occasionally in his throat. “I-I screwed up, I know that. I d-don’t deserve her, I-I don’t deserve a-any of you. I j-just want to go home.” He knew they’d think he meant his actual home, but no. He so badly wanted to see his son again, he wanted to go back to HIS home, the one in the future. They wouldn’t understand. There was no way they were going to understand.

“You’re right,” Hermione finally muttered, running her fingers through her hair, “you don’t deserve her, asshole.” She turned around with a flick of her hair, making her way back up the stairs. Fred squeezed his eyes shut, but a slender fingers suddenly wrapping around his wrist had him hesitating. There was a tug on his arm, and Fred opened his eyes just in time to see FP beginning to pull him towards the door.

“Wh-where are we going?” He sniffled, but allowed himself to be tugged along.

“We’re going on a drive, I told you that already.” FP mumbled, and Fred complied.

The night air was cold as they finally exited the house, it was enough to make Fred shudder. Still, FP’s hand was warm against his wrist. It made him feel like he didn’t even need a jacket to hide away from the snow falling from the sky.

As they approached the car, FP grabbed the car keys out of Fred’s back pocket. Fred initially jumped at the feeling of FP’s hand against his ass, but he took a deep breath to compose himself once the car was unlocked. Normally Fred would have suggested they just go on a walk instead, he would have reminded FP that they were both too buzzed to drive, but Fred was too tired to care.

As he climbed into the passengers seat and buckled himself up, FP jogged around the car and scooted into the driver’s seat. The key was pushed into the ignition and Fred shut his eyes as the engine roared to life. God, how he adored everything about this truck. Even if it was the truck he nearly bled to death in, all those years later in the future. This truck was still his second baby, compared to Archie.

Time after that sort of seemed to blur. They could have been driving for five minutes, it could have been five hours. It wasn’t until Fred felt a hand on his shoulder that he forced himself to open his eyes. It was still dark outside, but it had stopped snowing. 

“Wh-where are we?”

“Sweetwater River. Nowhere else will be this hidden and secluded at 12:43am on a Sunday night. Now, why don’t you tell me what’s going on inside that little head of yours?” 

Fred hesitated for only a moment, then began to explain everything. Everything that happened with Mary and his eventual divorce, Archie, Jughead, Jason Blossom, even being shot. He casually left out FP’s arrest and Gladys leaving him. The man didn’t need to know that. Finally, he explained the scenario as to how he even got here. He’d been having a birthday party, he’d blown out the candles, and...

FP gave Fred’s shoulder another squeeze as the younger teen’s breathing picked up. Even just talking about the whole event made him uncomfortable. 

“Tell me about our kids, Freddy. Archie and Jud-head, right?”

“C-Close, his name is Jughead. They’re best friends, they have been since birth. Hell, the two of them were practically joined at the hip for a while there.”

Fred didn’t add in the fact that he was almost certain the boys were secretly seeing each other. He vividly remembered catching a glimpse of Archie sneaking a half dressed Jughead out of the back door around 6:30am on a Sunday morning. Now that he thought about it, Archie had been bundled up in his hoodie and a sweater all day. Fred used to do the same thing to cover up any remaining hickeys on his neck. Fuck, did Archie learn it from him? 

“Jughead is a good kid, FP. A lot like you.”

“I’m sorry this is happening to you, Fred.” 

They fell into a comfortable silence, Fred gazing out the window while FP stared at the steering wheel. FP appeared to be lost in thought, and Fred was happy to give him the time. He kind of wanted to simply curl up and just ignore the world. 

“I’ve got it!” FP slammed his hand against the steering wheel. Both boys jumped when the horn honked, but FP spoke before they could react properly. “We’ll throw you a birthday party!”

“What? Why would you do that?”

“If we throw you a birthday party, you’ll get a cake, right? You can blow out the birthday candles and make a wish! If you do that, it should take you back to your time!” FP had a wide smile on his face, it was enough to make a hint of colour rise to Fred’s cheeks. He had a lovely smile, it made his eyes shine even in the moonlight.

“That’s not a bad idea, FP.”

“Of course it’s not! I came up with it, after all.” 

The duo shared a smile, but Fred’s was the first to fall.

“If... if this works, you know I’ll end up with Mary. Fuck, I’ve gotta fix my relationship with her before we throw this party.”

FP’s smile was wiped clean off his face. He broke their gaze, eyes darting down to his lap.

“I know, Freddy. I gotta figure out a relationship with Gladys, anyways.”

The silence between the two returned with full force. In that moment, neither one of them wanted to be the one to break it. Fred hesitated, but his hand was soon moving to the side and his fingers were soon intertwining with FP’s. He could have sworn he saw FP crack a small smile out of the corner of his eye. FP squeezed his hand, eyes closing.

“I love you, Freddy.”

“I-I love you too, FP.”

Fred let his eyes drift out the window, sighing when he saw the snow beginning to fall. He couldn’t help but wonder what a future with FP would have been like. Maybe in another life, they could have made it work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This got gayer than initially intended bc Fredsythe is ripping out my heart pray for my soul


	9. Birthday Parties and Big Returns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything changes for the worse. Will Fred be able to make it better before time runs out?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I came up with this idea, this chapter was the first one I had thought about. I was SO EXCITED to write this, you have no idea. I was listening to Believer by Imagine Dragons the entire time and at the part at the end... oh boy, I LOVE IT. I really hope you guys like this chapter, I put my heart and soul and blood and TEARS into it.

This had to have been the saddest damn birthday cake Fred had ever seen, and he’d seen a few. There was once when he was younger, Mary had helped Archie bake him a chocolate cake. The thing was rock hard, but Fred ate pretty much all of it. Archie had watched with the biggest smile, the same smile that FP Jones, covered in cake batter and icing, was wearing now.

It had been two weeks since FP had come up with his master plan, and the man had organized everything. All Fred had done in the last two weeks was basically mope around. He’d tried to apologize to Mary countless times, but all she did was glare and pretend like he didn’t exist. Even Hermione had stopped speaking to him altogether. FP was the only one out of their group who still treated Fred like a decent human being. Fred didn’t feel like he deserved it, but he was grateful that at least someone stuck by him.

 

About a week ago, Fred had sucked up his pride. That was how he had found himself at Mary’s doorstep at 3am on a Tuesday night, soaking wet from the rain and shivering. Her parents were out of town and he had been knocking periodically on the door for what felt like hours. Finally he’d begun to lean heavily on the door, distracting himself by breathing out through his mouth and pretending he was a dragon. The door had suddenly swung open and Fred fell forward with a gasp, right into a warm body that he had grown so familiar with. Mary muttered something about Fred catching his death and he thought he heard the door shut. Two warm hands were suddenly on his cheeks and Fred wasn’t sure how he was still standing, but he attempted to give the redheaded girl a shaky smile.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Freddy? It’s 3am, we have school tomorrow, and you’re-”

“I-I-I’m s-sorry, M-Mare.” He whispered, and he saw her expression soften. She guided him over to the couch as he began to ramble, sitting him down and wrapping a blanket around his shoulders. It was warm, red, and fuzzy. Must of been a Christmas present from Hermione, it had Mary’s initials stitched into the bottom right corner. “I-I was drunk and st-stupid, and I-I miss you. You’re my ev-everything, I-I can’t do this wi-without you.” Mary was crouching in front of him, holding both his hands in the hopes of warming them up. The couch was getting soaked, but she didn’t seem to care.

“Hey, hey, none of that. Take a deep breath, Freddy. It’s-”

“D-Don’t say it’s okay. I-it’s not okay! I kissed FP in-in front of you, and-and-”

“You were very drunk, Fred. We all were. I was angry at the time but I-I thought it over, and I’m not angry at you anymore.” 

Fred’s heart squeezed in his chest, and tears welled up in his eyes. Mary had forgiven him so easily, he almost didn’t believe her. He was suddenly lunging forward, wrapping his arms around her torso as he tackled the girl into a hug. Mary let out another surprised gasp, but she returned the hug. Fred felt a hand tangle itself in his hair and Mary was whispering quiet reassurances into his ear.

“You shouldn’t f-forgive me, M-Mary.”

“I know I shouldn’t, but no one can resist that pretty-boy smile of yours.”

The duo pulled back enough to look at each other, and they shared a smile. Fred had gotten the front of her blue nightgown wet, but Mary didn’t notice. If she did, she didn’t mention it. Mary was the first to lean forward, her arms wrapping around Fred’s neck as she pulled the boy in for a much desired kiss. 

 

Now, here they stood in Fred’s living room, badly wrapped presents haphazardly strewn about on the couch. He was pretty sure the boxes were empty, but he wouldn’t be opening them anyways. There were half-blown balloons all around the room, and a banner attached to the fireplace that had “It’s A Boy!” crossed out and “Happy Bday Fred!” written in black sharpie. Fred had to admit, it kind of made butterflies come to life in his stomach with how much effort FP had put in just to try and help. He had tried to push back these developing feelings for so long, but he found it getting harder and harder. There was going to be nothing stopping him from running straight to FP’s trailer when he got home, he knew it. He needed Mary and he did love her, but FP had, and always would, hold a special place in his heart.

“Okay!” FP’s voice snapped him out of his train of thought. Oh, he sounded so excited. It was so sweet. “So I’m gonna sing Happy Birthday and you’re gonna blow out the candles. Then hopefully, whatever fuckery will be resolved. So, without further adieu, Hap-”

Fred was quick to lean forward, wrapping his fingers around FP’s wrist as he pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. The older teen blushed, eyes widening as he looked at his friend. Fred released his grip and stepped back, smiling sheepishly.

“Just-Just incase it does work, I want you to know how grateful I am. For all of this. Mary and I are back together and now I’m going to get to see my son, I promise I’ll make this up to you in the future.”

FP returned the smile, but Fred caught the hint of sadness in his eyes. FP cleared his throat, then extended the cake towards Fred and began to sing. It was such a lovely moment, Fred kind of never wanted it to end. However, by the time he realized FP had stopped singing, Fred knew it was go time.

“Here goes nothing.” He mumbled, stepping forward. Fred sucked in a sharp breath and held it for a moment, then squeezed his eyes shut and blew out the candles. Just like before he managed to get all of them in one go, and a familiar tingle rushed through his body. He stayed there for a moment, eyes shut, almost afraid to open his eyes. 

When he did gather his courage and open them, his heart sunk. FP was still standing before him, worry on his face as he still held the cake. 

“Did it work?”

“No.”

 

They held a total of 20 different “parties” over the next three and a half months, and none of them worked. FP’s baking skills did get better, though. Normally after their attempt failed, they’d sit on the kitchen floor and eat cake. 

Other than that, surprisingly enough, nothing eventful had happened. Fred had tried to focus on school (it was easy when he remembered all the answers) and bettering his relationship with Mary. Their little group was more or less whole again, save for Alice. By the time April rolled around, Fred had actually gotten kind of distracted. It had been easy to lose himself in the good times with all of his friends. 

They were all gathered in the lounge before school one morning when Mary ran in, a wide smile on her face. The conversation about which Star Wars movie was the best suddenly stopped, and all eyes turned to her.

“You look like you found out you just got into Harvard. Everything okay, Mary?” Hermione grinned, crossing her legs as she took a sip from her portable coffee cup.

“I just overheard Principal Woodson, Alice had her baby and she’ll be back in school next week!” 

The room erupted in cheers from everyone, but FP. He was quick to jump to his feet, rushing over to Mary.

“Did you hear anything about the baby? A gender? A name? Anything?” He sounded desperate, it broke Fred’s heart. Mary reached out to take his hands, squeezing them lightly.

“All I know is it’s a little baby boy named Chic, and he...he was given to a nice family in Greendale.” 

FP tore his gaze away, and Fred could have sworn he saw the other’s hands shaking. FP had a son. He had a son he was never going to get to meet, no matter what he said or did. He could only imagine how hard that must be on him.

Fred pushed himself to his feet and crossed the room, his hand settling down on FP’s shoulder. The two teens made eye contact, and Fred gave him the warmest smile he could manage.

“It’ll be okay, buddy. Trust me.”

FP seemed to loosen up at that. Maybe he thought Fred knew something about the future that he didn’t and for the time being, that was fine. If FP believed he’d eventually meet his son, then that was okay with Fred. Anything that helped ease his friend’s mind.

The bell rang and demanded that they get to class, so everyone began to part ways. Just as Fred was gathering his stuff and he reached for his bag, he looked back and saw a bandage wrapped around FP’s hand, making it’s way down to his wrist. Fred hesitated, glancing around the room that now only held the two of them.

“What did you do to your hand?”

FP swung his bag over his shoulder, pausing for a moment as he attempted to come up with an answer. When he didn’t have one, he let out a heavy sigh.

“I-I had a moment of weakness, Freddy. I can’t keep mooching off your parents, and they-they offered me stability...”

Oh, shit. He’d almost forgotten about this. FP had turned to the Serpents out of desperation. Fred had originally gone in with the intention to change it, maybe set FP on a better path, but he’d completely lost track of the dates.

“FP, you didn’t-”

“They wanted me to get this stupid knife from a rattlesnake tank, and it bit me, but-”

“FP!”

“-it didn’t have any venom! Just stung a little! It’s fine, Freddy!”

The two were now standing directly in front of each other, Fred’s arms crossed over his chest as they stared at one another.

“You can do so much better than this, FP.” He spoke quietly, the same voice he would often use with Archie if he was disappointed in him. FP moved his gaze to look down at the floor.

“You can’t stop me from doing this, Fred. I’m sorry. I’ve gotta learn to hold my own eventually. They’re gonna let me crash on the couch in this bar that they stay in, I guess they converted it? Either way, it’s not a bad setup. I need you to trust me.”

“I trust you, FP. I don’t trust them.” Fred took another step forward, reaching out to grab FP’s shoulder. The other stepped back, just as Fred heard a familiar voice in the doorway.

“Fred! You promised you’d walk with me to class.” Hermione was watching them disapprovingly, arms crossed and hair now removed from the tight ponytail it had been in. If Fred didn’t know better, he would have thought she was Veronica. 

“Yes! Yeah, I’m coming.” Fred gave her a smile, though he turned back to look at FP when he felt the other ruffle his hair.

“FP-”

“Trust me, Freddy. I’ll be fine.” FP let his hand drop back down to his side, and Fred watched Hermione step out of the way as FP left the lounge. FP had no way of knowing, but his decision to join the Serpents is what kickstarted the downwards spiral that would tear their group apart. 

 

The rest of the week passed fairly quickly. According to Mary and Hermione, Alice was now home. She was taking a few extra days off before coming back to school, though. No one really thought to question it. By the time Friday morning rolled around, Fred found himself itching to see the girl. He hadn’t seen his friend since they went to visit her at The Sisters of Quiet Mercy, and he was dying to fill her in on everything she’d missed.

So when it was ten minutes to the start of first period and she hadn’t arrived yet, Fred had gotten worried. Maybe Alice had decided to take another day off. He couldn’t blame her, she’d been through a lot. He thought he’d heard a rumour about Alice breaking up with Hal in order to date this other guy, but false gossip spread fast in Riverdale. It always had, it always would.

At five minutes to the bell Fred was closing his locker door, chemistry book in hand. That was when Mary ran up to him, panic evident on her face. Oh shit, what now?

“Freddy, you need to come see this!”

Fred turned to properly face her, unprepared as Mary snatched his hand and began to tug him down the crowded hallway. 

“Where are you taking me?”

Mary didn’t answer. Finally, they came to a halt. It took Fred a moment to realize that at some point Hermione had found them, because Fred was standing in between the two of them. 

“Any updates?” Mary breathed, and Hermione tapped her heel against the linoleum.

“Not yet. Tom Keller said that he saw them through the window upstairs facing the parking lot, so they should be here any second.” Hermione had her eyes glued to the double doors that lead to the student parking lot, and Fred noticed that she was glaring at them. A mad Hermione was a scary Hermione, and Fred found himself stepping closer towards Mary. 

“Is anyone gonna tell me what’s going on?”

“They’ve lost their minds, Fred.” Mary began, chewing on her bottom lip. “They’re going to get suspended, or...fuck! ‘Mione, what if they get expelled?”

“They’ll deserve it, Mary.”

“What the fuck is going on?!” Fred had to raise his voice in order to get Mary to look at him, but it was the sound of Sheriff- Fuck, Tom Keller yelling,

“They’re coming!” for him to stop.

The double doors burst open, and Fred could have sworn he saw everything move in slow motion.

Walking through the doors, hand in hand, were his friends. Alice and FP both wore similar smirks, eyes looking around the hallways in order to soak in the reaction of all the other students. They looked to each other for a moment, and FP leaned down to kiss Alice on the cheek. FP looked horrible. He had cuts and bruises all over his face, he looked like he’d gotten the shit beaten out of him with brass knuckles or something. Alice, on the other hand, looked perfectly fine. Hell, she looked gorgeous as ever. She had on black high heels as well as fishnet stockings that came up to meet the black short-short's she had on, and what looked like a black t-shirt with some sort of a thorny rose on it. She had applied bright red lipstick and more eyeliner than Fred had ever seen her wear, but she looked good. Blonde hair, much longer than Fred remembered, had been curled and hung loosely down by her shoulders. As shocked as Fred was, he couldn't help but admit that Alice looked fucking badass. 

This wasn’t supposed to happen. Why was this happening?

He felt Mary tug on his arm to pull him and Hermione off to the side of the hallway, giving the approaching duo room to pass. Alice’s eyes darted over to them, and she took the cherry coloured lollypop out of her mouth in order to address them. She was still grinning.

“Morning, sluts. Miss me?” She popped the lollypop back into her mouth, then continued on with FP. Hermione let out what sounded like an angry growl, and Mary could only stare in shock. 

Fred watched as Alice linked her arm with FP’s, and he let out the breath he didn’t know he was holding. As he watched them walk away, it took his brain a moment to register what the new couple was now wearing.

Matching Southside Serpent jackets.

Getting home at this point had been put on the back burner. Fred had to fix this before it got even more out of hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ALLLIICCCEEE I MISSED HER SO MUCH. She's my Queen. Can't wait for her to get arrested and for FP to join the fucking army, thank you canon Riverdale for giving me more things to write about ;)


End file.
